the dead man - 5. joe

by nick nelson

part five of 31

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mrs johnson enjoyed watching lucas playing and daydreaming in the little yard, and was always disappointed when he tired of doing so and wandered off down the street on his travels. the first friend his own size that lucas made was a dog named joe. that was the owner’s name for the dog but lucas was not to know it for some time - about a week. joe was a big dog, and easy to get along with. joe’s owner was a man named lester jackson, known as “big les” to his co-workers and friends, because he was so big. he really was not as big as all that. when strangers saw him walking down the street, they did not stop and stare at him and say or think, what a big guy. nevertheless he was known as “big les” to his fellow workers at the mill. he was a pretty ordinary guy and most people liked him well enough. joe was les’s dog, and he ran around during the day when les was working at the mill. there was a park in the center of town across the street from city hall, and dogs hung out there. dogs that had no homes or owners, and dogs that ran free during the day, like joe. the boss dog was blackie, and he ran wild. his number two was a dog named chester, who slept most nights in a dog house n the back yard of bert robinson, the long time bartender at mike’s tavern, a favorite hangout of the local politicians and newspapermen. blackie and chester did not care much for joe, for reasons best understood by themselves, and made him feel unwelcome at the park. joe sought companionship elsewhere, among small owned dogs, cats, and small humans like lucas. > joe was a good dog. just about everybody in the world execpt blackie and chester liked him. lucas especially liked him. because joe was a good dog. next